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Belarus human rights activist goes on hunger strike in latest protest against Lukashenko government

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:07:08 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A human rights activist in Belarus on Thursday began a hunger strike inside prison in the latest protest against the repressive government of Alexander Lukashenko, a rights organization said.The Belarusian human rights organization Viasna said Aliaksandar Vaitseshyk went on hunger strike in the city of Baranavichy, in western Belarus, after being sentenced to 15 days of administrative arrest.He was convicted on charges of “distributing extremist materials,” a charge which Belarus authorities have frequently used to detain activists in recent years.Belarus was rocked by mass protests during Alexander Lukashenko’s disputed election in 2020, which the opposition and the West condemned as fraudulent. Since then Belarusian authorities have detained more than 35,000 people, many of whom have reportedly been tortured while in custody.Vaitseshyk was detained on Nov. 9 by armed men near his home on the same day 10 opposition activists were also detained, Viasna said. ...

Woman, 37, charged with murder in case of missing Richmond Hill man

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:07:08 GMT

A 37-year-old woman is facing a murder charge in the death of a missing Richmond Hill man. Police say 30-year-old Kevin Bonada Rosas was last seen at his home on Elmwood Avenue on June 21, 2018. He was reported missing by his family five days later.His disappearance was deemed suspicious and in April 2021 the homicide unit began investigating. On June 5 this year, human remains were found buried in the yard of the man’s home on Elmwood Avenue and a forensic examination concluded them to be the remains of Rosas. The cause of death has not been released. Anoshirvan Shirizadeh of Richmond Hill has been charged with second-degree murder.

S&P/TSX composite index down in late-morning trading, U.S. stocks also lower

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:07:08 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index was down in late-morning trading, as losses in the base metal and energy stocks helped lead the way lower and U.S. stock markets also fell.The S&P/TSX composite index was down 74.82 points at 19,983.07.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 141.40 points at 34,849.81. The S&P 500 index was down 12.03 points at 4,490.85, while the Nasdaq composite was down 50.28 points at 14,053.56.The Canadian dollar traded for 72.73 cents US compared with 73.13 cents US on Wednesday.The January crude oil contract was down US$3.08 at US$73.71 per barrel and the December natural gas contract was down 11 cents at US$3.08 per mmBTU.The December gold contract was up US$25.50 at US$1,989.80 an ounce and the December copper contract was down two cents at US$3.70 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 16, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD) The Canadian Press

Accused RCMP leaker acted on ‘clear and grave threat,’ defence lawyer says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:07:08 GMT

OTTAWA — A lawyer for a former RCMP intelligence official charged with leaking secrets is telling a jury his client did not betray Canada, but acted on a “clear and grave threat.” Jon Doody, who represents Cameron Jay Ortis, began closing arguments for the defence in Ontario Superior Court today.Ortis, 51, has pleaded not guilty to violating the Security of Information Act by revealing secrets to three individuals in 2015 and trying to do so in a fourth instance, as well as breach of trust and a computer-related offence. The Crown argues Ortis lacked authority to disclose classified material and that he was not doing so as part of some kind of undercover operation.Ortis, who was director of the RCMP’s Operations Research group, has told the jury he didn’t commit a crime or lose sight of his mission.On the contrary, Ortis says, he offered secret material to targets in a bid to get them to use an online encryption service secretly set up by an allied intelligen...

Ontario’s new daycare safe arrival rules aimed at preventing deaths in hot cars

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:07:08 GMT

Everett Smith had a grin so infectious his daycare staff nicknamed him “Smiley.” He loved apples. His prized possession was a yellow toy school bus. He was just three weeks shy of his second birthday when he died in late June 2022 in the back seat of a car in Bancroft, Ont., after a family emergency changed his family’s morning routine and his mom didn’t realize he hadn’t been dropped off at his daycare when she headed into work. Now, new rules for Ontario child-care operators coming into effect next year are aimed at preventing the rare but horrific deaths of children in hot cars. As of Jan. 1, licensed home daycares and child-care centres will need to develop a policy setting out the steps they will take when a child doesn’t arrive as expected.It’s a step Everett’s parents see as comforting, knowing that something positive will come out of such a devastating tragedy. “How it happened absolutely is devastating, bu...

Longtime Israeli policy foes are leading US protests against Israel’s action in Gaza. Who are they?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:07:08 GMT

As the Israel-Hamas war rages in Gaza, there’s a bitter battle for public opinion flaring in the United States, with angry rallies on many college campuses and disruptive protests at prominent venues in several major cities.Among the catalysts are Palestinian and Jewish-led groups that have been active for years in opposing Israeli policies toward the Palestinians and who now demand a cease-fire in Gaza. They have clashed with pro-Israel groups in the past, and are again now.The groups have roots in a movement known as BDS, which calls for the boycott, divestment and sanction of Israel. That campaign generated heated rhetoric long before Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel launched its counteroffensive. Advocates wrote op-eds for campus newspapers with appeals to protect Palestinian human rights, often accusing Israel of colonialism and racism. Now groups involved in those earlier efforts are playing a key role protesting the latest fighting, with actions on campuse...

Climate change is hastening the demise of Pacific Northwest forests

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:07:08 GMT

SHERWOOD, Ore. (AP) — Deep inside a forest in Oregon’s Willamette Valley stands a dead “Tree of Life.”Its foliage, normally soft and green, is tough and brown or missing altogether. Nonetheless, the tree’s reddish bark, swooping branches and thick, conical base identify it as the Pacific Northwest’s iconic western red cedar.Christine Buhl, a forest health specialist for the Oregon Department of Forestry, plunges a tool called an increment borer into the dead tree’s trunk. Twisting the handle of the corkscrew-like borer, Buhl extracts a long, thin sample of the tree’s inner growth rings.The rings become thinner over time, indicating the tree’s growth slowed before the tree finally died, a sign that this red cedar, like thousands of others in Oregon and Washington, died from drought.“That’s why it’s the canary,” says Buhl. “Any tree that’s less drought tolerant is going to be the canary in the coal mine. They’re going to start bailing (out).”For thousands of years, people have used re...

Man accused of abducting, beating woman over 4-day period pleads not guilty

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:07:08 GMT

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio man accused of abducting and beating a woman while she was confined for four days in a residential garage last month pleaded not guilty during a court hearing Thursday.William Mozingo, 33, was arraigned on charges of kidnapping, felonious assault, abduction and unlawful restraint. He has been held without bond since his Oct. 16 arrest due to a parole violation.The 23-year-old Chardon woman was found after a resident called Akron police and said a friend had a woman in their outdoor garage without their knowledge and that the woman appeared to be injured. Relatives have said she suffered facial fractures, brain bleed, a broken arm and finger injuries.Authorities have said the woman knew Mozingo but not very well. The alleged abduction and attacks occurred after he offered to drive her home but instead took her to the garage.Bodycam video of the arrest was released this week by police. It shows officers using a ladder to help the woman climb down from a part...

Beef is a way of life in Texas, but it’s hard on the planet. This rancher thinks she can change that

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:07:08 GMT

ROSSTON, Texas (AP) — The cattle part as Meredith Ellis edges her small four-wheeler through the herd, silently counting the cows and calves. It’s the way she starts most days on her 3,000-acre Texas ranch: ensuring all the cattle are safe, deciding when they should move to another pasture, and ensuring the grass is as healthy as her animals.“We’re looking for the sweet spot where the land and cattle help each other,” Ellis says as she rumbles down a dirt road to check on another herd. “You want to find that balance.”Much of Ellis’ work evolved from the ranching her father practiced for decades. Her parents built this ranch, and it’s where Ellis was raised. Now it’s her turn to make the decisions. She’s implemented changes her father couldn’t dream of — because for her and other ranchers, their livelihoods and the future of the planet are on the line.For generations, beef has been a way of life in Texas, the most quintessential of American main courses, and a premium protein around ...

Rep. George Santos won't seek reelection after scathing ethics report cites evidence of lawbreaking

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:07:08 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Ethics committee in a scathing report Thursday said it has amassed “overwhelming evidence” of lawbreaking by Republican Rep. George Santos of New York that has been sent to the Justice Department, concluding flatly that he “cannot be trusted” after a monthslong investigation into his conduct.Shortly after the panel's report was released, Santos blasted it in a tweet on X as a “politicized smear” but said he would not be seeking reelection to a second term. He gave no indication he would step aside before his term ends next year, vowing to pursue his “conservative values in my remaining time in Congress.”But a renewed effort to expel him from the House was quickly launched. The House could vote on his expulsion as soon as it returns from the Thanksgiving holiday later this month.The panel said that Santos knowingly caused his campaign committee to file false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission; used campaign funds...